The night was dark and silent, with malevolent spirits roaming freely.
Hu Ma had no choice but to come up with this plan, though he wasn’t sure how many evil entities Little Hong Tang had lured.
He only realized that the Red Lantern Lady’s influence was so domineering that most of these spirits had been driven outside the range of her red light.
However, those who dared to linger within her domain were undoubtedly bold and powerful.
At this moment, these spirits had been drawn by the scent of the "Blood Tai Sui" in Little Hong Tang’s hand.
Although the item had already been devoured, the spirits, once roused, were not so easily calmed.
They drifted aimlessly in the darkness around the village, driven by instinct.
Hu Ma could feel the unrest in the night, something he would never dare to provoke under normal circumstances.
But now, he mustered his courage and ventured into the chaos.
He walked steadily and quickly along the uneven dirt path, exuding an air of authority even in this spirit-infested area.
As he approached the village, he suddenly noticed a tall, thin figure walking ahead of him.
The figure moved slowly, about ten meters ahead, silent and unhurried.
"Who would be walking alone on such a quiet night?" Hu Ma grew wary and slowed his pace.
The figure ahead seemed to slow as well, as if waiting for him to catch up.
"Brother, state your name!" Hu Ma called out, stopping in his tracks.
He wasn’t foolish enough to rush forward.
The figure suddenly halted but didn’t turn around.
A cold, eerie wind blew from the front, sending a chill down Hu Ma’s spine.
After a moment of thought, he pulled out a fire starter from his pocket, lit it, and handed it to Little Hong Tang, signaling her to go ahead and illuminate the path.
In the pitch-black night, Little Hong Tang, holding the fire starter, looked like a floating flame drifting forward.
The figure was caught off guard as the light revealed its face—a pale, stiff visage with a bright red tongue hanging out.
Its cold, mocking eyes sent shivers through Hu Ma.
It was a person with a face on the back of their head, or rather, their head had been twisted 180 degrees.
The figure had been watching him all along.
If Hu Ma had recklessly chased after it, he would have been met with a face full of yin energy.
As Second Uncle had warned, being blown on by a spirit at night could weaken one’s inner fire by thirty percent.
For an ordinary person, a single breath of yin energy could render them unconscious.
Realizing this was no human, Hu Ma tensed up.
He exhaled softly, gripping the knife Zhou Datong had lent him, ready to draw it at any moment.
He stared at the pale, rigid face and spoke firmly, "Friend, I know it’s midnight, and I’ve taken your path. But I have urgent business and need to pass. Please step aside, and we’ll go our separate ways."
The figure responded with a series of eerie giggles but stopped moving, its eyes fixed on Hu Ma as if waiting for him to approach.
Hu Ma’s body grew cold with fear, but he remembered Second Uncle’s teachings and knew he couldn’t show weakness.
He drew his knife halfway and stepped forward, one step at a time, like a moving furnace.
As he got closer to the pale face, the figure seemed to fade.
By the time he reached where it had stood, it had completely vanished, leaving only faint laughter in his ears.
Hu Ma stopped, looked around at the dark night, and said solemnly, "Thanks, brother. I’ll burn incense for you when I get the chance."
These were the rules Second Uncle had taught him.
Second Uncle had lived for sixty years with his inner fire and never feared spirits.
But influenced by the village, he rarely provoked them, preferring to deal with them respectfully.
Hu Ma followed the same principle.
He didn’t know what he had encountered, but showing respect was always the right move.
Sure enough, though his heart raced, he encountered no further disturbances.
As he walked through the countryside, he soon heard a creaking sound.
Knowing trouble was near, he signaled Little Hong Tang and cautiously approached the source of the noise.
Soon, he reached a slope where five or six figures were hunched over, trembling, seemingly engaged in some activity.
"Are these the village workers?" Hu Ma recognized their clothes and called out in a low voice, "What are you doing?"
Suddenly, all the trembling figures stopped, and the creaking ceased.
They slowly turned to face Hu Ma.
In the heavy darkness, he couldn’t make out their features clearly but noticed their fingers were at their mouths, gnawing.
Many of their eyes began to glow, and they emitted strange, sharp sounds.
"Ah, another one…"
"It’s him, it’s him! This kid hurt one of us before. I remember!"
Hu Ma stared at the horrifying scene, realizing these workers had been bewitched.
He recognized the sharp voices—they belonged to the Yellow Immortals who had once possessed someone in the town.
He had injured one of them, and Xu Ji had even killed one with his red wooden sword.
The rest had fled in fear of the Red Lantern Lady’s power.
Now, they had returned, and it seemed fate had brought them together again.
These workers were under their control, and the Yellow Immortals clearly held a grudge against Hu Ma.
They were ready to attack as soon as they saw him.
Hu Ma quickly considered his options, gripping the knife tightly, but his voice remained calm.
"So it’s the Yellow Immortal family," he said, deliberately keeping his tone cool and proud.
"I helped bury one of your kin and allowed you to pay your respects. I thought the matter was settled, but here we meet again. Since that’s the case, I have something to say. I did injure one of your family, but I had my reasons. Your kin attacked us first and disrespected the Red Lantern Lady. After that, we went our separate ways. Today, I’m here on business. If you’re unhappy, I can apologize personally. But if you refuse to show any respect, then let’s draw our weapons and settle this!"
As he spoke, he focused his inner fire, exhaling onto the knife.
This was the True Yang Arrow technique.
The pure inner fire ignited the blade, making it glow like a red-hot iron for a moment.
In that brief instant, Hu Ma saw the workers’ gnawed fingers and their pale, stiff faces.
They stepped back in unison upon seeing the glowing knife.
Behind them, in the waist-high grass, countless creatures scurried away in panic.
Seeing this, Hu Ma felt more confident.
He held the knife high and declared, "We’ll meet again. Let’s leave each other some face. Don’t block my way today, and I’ll bring you a fat chicken as thanks!"
The grass rustled, and strange noises filled the air as if the spirits were discussing.
After a while, one of the bewitched workers spoke up, "Will you bring a rooster or a hen?"
Hu Ma quickly recalled that Yellow Immortals were said to prefer roosters, but he wasn’t entirely sure.
"How about a pair—a rooster and a hen?" he offered.
The grass erupted with noise, as if the spirits were excited.
After a long pause, a sharp voice said, "You’re a sensible kid. We won’t trouble you. Take your people back."
Other voices chimed in, "Make sure the chicken is fat, and bring some brown sugar too!" "Rooster blood and brown sugar eggs—even a god wouldn’t trade for that!"
Hu Ma remained cautious, watching as the grass rustled and the spirits quickly retreated.
The area grew quiet, leaving only the workers standing motionless, like puppets without strings.
Just as Hu Ma was about to call out to them, the grass rustled again.
He froze, gripping his knife, but this time, something was thrown out of the grass and landed at his feet.
It was a red wooden sword.
"Take it," a sharp voice said nearby before disappearing back into the grass.
"Good neighbors," Hu Ma muttered, recognizing the sword as the one Xu Ji had always brandished.
Now, the Yellow Immortals had gifted it to him.
If he had picked it up, it would have still belonged to Xu Ji.
But since the Yellow Immortals had given it to him, it was now his.
He picked up the sword and felt its weight.
It was different from the knives he usually practiced with—light yet carrying a mysterious heaviness.
His inner fire could flow into it effortlessly, as if it were an extension of his arm.
This unexpected gift boosted his confidence.
He swung the sword in a wide arc, and an invisible wave of fiery energy swept through the area.
The yin energy clinging to the workers dissipated, and they slowly opened their eyes, bewildered.
(End of Chapter)